Now, hopefully you already know about my obsession for Derek Hough, because if you don’t that would make this blog post less dramatic.

So, let’s assume you do. You know all about how I became obsessed with Derek Hough in 11th grade, and ow I have been to every one of his tours including his show at the Radio City Music Hall, and I have even met him 6 times.

On April 23rd, my love for him and his talents was expressed again, as I attended Derek Hough Live!! The Tour! Now, let me tell you, this was my 7th time seeing Derek, and truly each time they get better.

Derek Hough is magic. His show was funny, his show was beautiful, his show was moving, his show was magical. I wasn’t Elizabeth Hadley the stressed out senior in college with zero free time. I was just Elizabeth, happy and free.

I was so close I could see how his emotions changed with each dance!

The way that Derek can transition from tap to contemporary to salsa to hip hop to the tango in minutes is amazing. He is one of the most talented people to walk this earth, who is actually really genuine and humble.

The thing that gets me about Derek the most is that he never takes his success for granted. He even said so himself. He said, every night I come up on stage and I always feel like I have to earn it. I have to earn that I get to do this every single night, and I love doing it. Derek was born to be on stage, and how lucky is he that he gets to do what he was put on this earth to do.

I got to meet Derek before hand, and this was my sixth time meeting him. He is just such a beautiful soul.

I asked him what he wishes he knew when he was 22 like I am.

He said, well, I wish I knew that you don’t have to have your life figured out when you are 22. I also wish that I knew that you are who you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with people who are hard working and nice, you will want to be like them. I love that he said that, and it was such a nice thing to say to me.

The best part of Derek’s show was the backup dancers. WOW! They are talented! They seemed so grateful and happy that they got to be up on that stage and performing alongside such a talented dancer like Derek. But, they are just as talented!

Now, you may remember that my first ever blog post was recapping my fabulous week volunteering in Gulfport, MS. Well, another spring break has come and gone, and guess what that means, another ASB trip has come and gone. This time, in Battle Creek MI.

The Drill Queens!

I must admit, I was very nervous for this year’s ASB trip. For one, because I knew it was my going to be my last one, and I really wanted it to be one I would love! Second, I was the leader of this particular trip, and I really wanted all my training, planning and prepping to pay off. Mostly, I just wanted everyone in my group to have the best time, and to love ASB as much as I do.

Feeling good after a day of drywalling!

Well, despite a few hiccups, it couldn’t have gone any better! My group got along so well, we all loved being with each other, hanging out and laughing. The site we were at were awesome, and they always had something for us to do. From hanging dry wall, to building a wheelchair ramp, to digging a trench in the rain, we really got our hands dirty (literally and figuratively).

Best group ever!

My favorite part about ASB is that each year I go (this was my third year) I come back from the trip a little different. Sophomore year, I realized that I was a lot braver than I thought I was.

We found this awesome coffee shop in downtown Battle Creek, and we learned all about these two guys!

Junior year I realized that most people are awesome, if you just give them a chance.

Outside our new favorite coffee shop in Battle Creek! Cafe Rica!

And this year, senior year, I realized that I can’t put a timeline on my life. I feel as though this entire semester, I have been thinking, 4 months until graduation, that means only 4 months left to get a job, and I need to get my reel done, and I need to make sure I spend enough time with my friends. But, being in Battle Creek, I realized that I can’t be putting this timeline on myself, because life happens the way that life is supposed to happen.

We went to Lake Michigan on our free day!

I came back from ASB feeling like my week mattered, like I spent it with people who are awesome, I got to experience a new place I probably would never have gone, and I got to help people who need help. I love my new friends, I loved learning and working and I just love ASB

Our newest friend Justin, the site coordinator!

Now, I have to say, that I know I’m not like most people, but I think that’s a good thing, I care about other people more than myself, I always say as long as everyone else is happy, I’m happy. And, I know that my life will work out, even if it’s not on the timeline that I always thought it would. I think everyone should try ASB at least once. It’s an experience that you won’t regret.

Thank you Suffolk, and thank you Battle Creek, for another week of learning!

One week ago I was in Vegas with Andrea and Andrew. I had never been to Vegas before this trip, so I honestly had no idea what to expect! I was nervous, because I don’t do well when I veer off of my normal routine, but I think I came back a little bit stronger and better, because I stepped out of my comfort zone! I figured I would give a quick recap of the trip here, in case anyone wants to know just how CRAZY it was!!

We landed in Vegas at 1:30 a.m. Vegas time, which was 4:30 a.m. Boston time. The time change really messed me up, both ways.

Friday was our first real day, and we went to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon! I loved it! It was beautiful!

Friday night we went to this crazy street called The Freemont, it was basically like Times Square meets Hampton Beach meets a club. It was all outside. People were zip lining over our heads, bands were playing, and everyone was just having a good time.

Saturday we slept in until 11 am, we really needed that. After we went out to the Flamingo Hotel because I love flamingo’s and they had a wildlife habitat of flamingos! We walked the Linq and then Andrew and Andrea had to go get ready for Lady Gaga at her residency at the Park MGM.

I stayed in the Air B’N’B while they went to Lady Gaga and met up with them afterwards to go on the High Roller, the biggest Observation Wheel in the world! It had 360 Degree views of Vegas.

Then we got nachos because its it’s one am in Vegas and you want Nachos, you can get nachos.

The next day was Sunday, SUPERBOWL DAY!! Now, if you don’t know me, you wouldn’t know, but the Super Bowl is one of my favorite days! But, we were in Vegas, so we had to do some research to really see where we could watch, and where wasn’t going to be too much money, because most places were charging 300-400 dollars to get in! But we found this awesome place to watch it right near the Freemont, called the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. It was free to get in, but the food and drinks you had to pay for! It was like a giant watch party tailgate!

We had the best time meeting other Patriots fans and cheering so loudly! Fun fact, I even got interviewed by the local news when I was there!

But Andrew and Andrea had Lady Gaga on Sunday night too, so they were changing and getting ready in the 4th quarter, and I was still cheering them on! They stayed to watch them win and then left right after, but I stayed with all the Patriots fans that I met!

We met up again after they went to the show, and walked around the casinos and saw the fountains at the Bellagio and eventually went to bed around 2.

Monday was our last day. I think 4 days in Vegas is the perfect amount of time. We saw enough, we had enough fun, and I think we were all ready to go back home and get back to reality. Vegas is truly un-like anywhere else I have ever been, honestly I can’t describe it, it’s just one giant party all the time on the Strip, but if you go a little off the strip, it’s quite poor.

Monday we had to carry our suitcases with us all day since our flight wasn’t until 9:50 that night. The Venetian was beautiful!

We had fun taking pictures with the Vegas sign! We even saw someone taking their wedding photos there!

The whole trip was so fun, I am so glad that we decided to go and just have a fun weekend. I never do spur of the moment things, and this trip wasn’t spur of the moment, but what we did while we were there was super un-planned, but I think that made it even better! I hope I have many many more adventures with Andrea and Andrew for the rest of my life!!

Then, we landed at 6 am on Tuesday morning, and went to the Patriots Parade! What a great way to ease myself back in to Boston!

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost over, it seems like just yesterday it was the end of 2017, and now here we are, the end of 2018. I don’t like endings or beginnings, maybe that’s why I hate the end of the year. I actually love the middle of things, I love a good Wednesday. I really don’t like to see things end, or start. But, nevertheless, here we are, so I figured I’d give a little recap of my year, mostly for me, I won’t have any hard feelings if you never read this.

In January, I traveled to Mont Tremblant, Canada with my brother and Dad to go skiing. I love skiing on new mountains and this was a great way to kick off the new year!

Also in January, I started my internship at Channel 7 WHDH, as an assignment desk intern.

In March, I went to Gulfport Mississippi to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity with my school’s Alternative Spring Break program! (BEST WEEK EVER) I have so many other blog post’s about this week, it was just that good!

I turned 21 in March, and celebrated with my best friends!

In May, I finished junior year of college and resumed my summer position of working at Target! Hello 6 a.m. shifts!

I went to Philadelphia right before July 4th, which was super fun!

I hiked Mount Washington!

The end of July was sad, when I crowned my successor, and am now forever a has been! Thank you National American Miss!

I went to Martha’s Vineyard in August, and while I was there, I got the call that I would be interning at Channel 4 WBZ for fall semester!

I started senior year of college!!

I had the best long weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina at the One Tree Hill Convention in October!

I finished fall semester of college, and…

GOT A JOB!!

That’s right! I will be a script writer at Channel 7 WHDH starting on January 14th! I am excited that my 3 internships and lots of hard work helped me get this position! I know I will learn so much from this job!

Get ready world, I am coming for you this year, I’m graduating, I’m coming into the real world, and be warned, I’m going to make a splash!

I never make new year’s resolutions because no one ever sticks to them. But this year, I have one.

Here’s to happiness and love in 2019, for each and every person in the entire world!

And just like that, my fall semester of senior year is over! I honestly am still in shock that this May, I’ll be graduating. Unless of course, this upcoming semester is too hard for me, and I can’t do it. (I’m being sarcastic). Don’t worry, I’m graduating in May, come hell or high waters.

This semester was so great, I really feel like I grew a lot, and matured. It was hard, some day’s I hated it, but over all, I think it was more good than bad, most days anyways.

Let’s recap my semester for those who haven’t been following along as closely to the intricacies of my life, and really I don’t blame you if you haven’t.

I took 4 classes for 4 credits each.

ANDREW!!

I interned at WBZ-TV (Channel 4 for you local folks) 16 hours a week.

I commuted back and forth to school an hour and a half each way.

Another day at the commuter rail!

I traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina for the One Tree Hill convention.

I’m still waiting on my own Nathan Scott.

I taught dance every Saturday morning to 3-6 year olds.

This was last year, but you get the idea.

I sort of maintained a social life. I must admit, this is probably the area I lack the most. People invite me to do things, but I’m usually working, too tired, or it’s way too late, and how am I supposed to get home? I want to work on this more for the spring semester. I have this overhwelming feeling that I’m going to graduate and wish I spent more time having fun.

Every morning I wake up, and wish I was as cool as Jeanette.

I applied for a job at Channel 7 and an internship at Channel 5. I got both, but ended up taking the job.

I started The Mindy Project and am sufficiently obsessed with the show and am convinced that if Mindy Kaling and I ever met we would be best friends.

I was trained as an Alternative Spring Break Leader as preparation for my upcoming ASB trip to Battle Creek, Michigan.

I also applied for another internship with NECN, still waiting to hear back on that one, and I finished my semester after taking 4 finals and almost pulling my hair out.

Today I rewarded myself with a nice relaxing facial at the spa. Do I need to reward myself for doing something that most of the world does, working?

No I don’t, but I will tell you, this semester was difficult, classes were hard, I had to judge so many things on top of each other. I rarely eat a normal meal, it was usually while I was studying or editing a project. But, as I sit in my living room now, I realize that I had a great time with most of it, and I grew into a new, more confident, still kind of unsure, a little scared person, and I can’t wait for next semester already, because I already miss my friends. And I’m excited to start my new job!

I hope you all have a great holiday season, and a great end to 2018! I’ll tell you, I’m already excited about 2019.

Sometimes I joke around and say that if you don’t know where I am, it’s either in the editing lab working on my current package, or on the commuter rail. It’s sad, but also, not false.

Commuting is a full time job. I love when people take the commuter rail and they clearly don’t do it much, because they are all happy and talkative and they don’t know to have their ticket ready to go before they get on the train. I feel like telling them that the appeal wears off.

Sometimes parents take their children to the train station to watch the trains go by, and it’s adorable to see how happy it makes them, but then I think, if only you knew how much pain it causes all of us.

In order to survive commuting, I have come up with a guide. A top ten, of sorts. If you commute, you will agree, if you don’t you’ll think I’m being ridiculous, but believe me, you are going to want those heavy winter gloves when the train is delayed and you end up having the stand outside for 30 minutes in the 15 degree weather.

Here we go:

10: Get a Really Warm Winter Coat, Jacket, Mittens, Hat.

When the train is late, or the train breaks down, or the heat is broken on the car, or you realize you wanted to go out with your friends after your day, you won’t regret it. Maybe it’s not the latest fashion, or the latest trends, but nobody on the train cares. You will be happy to have that warmth while you wish you didn’t have to wait outside for the train.

9: Invest in Some Really Nice, Comfortable Shoes

It sounds silly, but the thing is, when you commute, you have no down time. From the minute you get in your car to drive to the train, to the minute you get back in your car after the train ride home, you won’t have a minute to relax. Where would you even go to relax? If you are like me, you may have a friend who lives in the North End and lets you go over for an hour in the middle of the day, but still, you can’t rely on him to always be there. Believe me, you are going to want those comfy shoes.

8: Get Really Good At Time Management.

I can tell you the exact amount of time it takes me to get to my house from the train station. (26 minutes) I can tell you the exact amount of time it will take me in Starbucks to get my coffee in the morning, (8 minutes) and the exact amount of time I need to print out my essay that’s due right before class. (if there is no line, 6 minutes.) I know if I take the 8:01 train its 35 minutes, but if I take the 6:56 train it’s 29 minutes. I know it’s 3 minutes from Back Bay to Ruggles, and I know that it takes my 12 minutes to walk from South Station to Sawyer Building.

7: Bring a Book.

Sure, you have your phone, or music. But, day after day of aimlessly scrolling through social media will really wear on you. You will waste your data, your dad will get mad, or you will just feel like you are wasting time. Get a book, read that book. I’m telling you, I’ve read 30 books this year, all thanks to the commuter rail

6: Get Ready To Be Tired.

At least at first. I remember going home, and feeling really tired. Now, I’m used to it, so I’m not tired anymore. My legs hurt, my head was tired, and their are lots of days I still want a little more sleep, but I’m used to it now.

5: Bring Your Lunch

Especially if you are commuting to Boston, I don’t know how expensive the rest of the country is, but Boston is expensive. I just can’t be buying food every day. Bringing lunch really pays off, I can eat it wherever I am, I don’t have to wait in line, which wastes more time. And at the end of the day, when I get hungry, I have a snack. I am already paying for my monthly commuter rail pass and parking, gosh, I don’t know what I’d do if I had to pay 15 dollars for lunch every day. That’s 75 dollars a week!

4: Don’t Expect Miracles.

The commuter rail is run by humans, humans make mistakes. I know I make mistakes, so many mistakes. If the train breaks down, or it’s late, sure it’s annoying, but I can’t get too mad, I’m sure they feel bad enough already, just be patient, wait it out, and eventually I’ll get where I need to go, and usually the train is on time.

3: Really Appreciate When You Get Where You Need To Go

Whenever you get where you are going, be happy, have a little fun, buy a coffee, just be all there, because soon enough, you will have to go back to South Station to wait for the train again, so be happy when you are wherever you needed to be.

2. Be Nice To Everyone You See On The Train, Or On The Sidewalks.

We are all on the same boat. Most likely, nobody really wants to be doing this, but we all are anyways. Let them on the train in front of you, let them sit in the middle seat when they are short on cars that day. Try to smile, tell them if they dropped something. When you are packing for 16 hours, it’s hard to remember it all, help them out, smile, be kind, but don’t be dumb either, be quiet in the morning.

1: No Matter How Bad of A Day it is on the train, it’s still better than driving.

Always remember, sure, most days it’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s windy, but, it’s still better than sitting on the highway in gridlock for hours, wasting gas, wasting time, let alone finding a parking spot in Boston. At least on the train, you can read, you can text, you can listen to your podcast, all while someone else is doing the driving for you. Taking the train, is always better than driving. I tell myself that everyday, and it’s not so bad anymore.

Hello Blog World! I must first apologize, I am terribly sorry I haven’t written a post in a while. I was sick, and then I went back to school and suddenly every professor realized finals was almost here and assigned lots of work. But, on the train this morning, I had an idea for a story, so I knew I had to make time for it.

I took this on the It’s A Small World Ride in Disney Land last year!

Christmas is coming, and personally, I absolutely LOVE Christmas season, and I’ll tell you why. It’s not because of the presents, I actually like giving presents more than getting them. I love to see the look on people’s faces as I give them something I knew they’d love. I love the magic of the season, and I’m not talking about Santa Claus, I’m talking about people realizing that they can make a difference in a person’s life.

One of my faves!

I believed in Santa for a long time, probably because I just loved the magic of it, I believed so hard that I even thought I heard him on the roof one year.

Bruce and I on Christmas Eve!

But, I remember when I stopped believing in Santa, I was so upset. Christmas was ruined. I didn’t believe in the magic anymore, and I hated it.

Santa Santa I know him!

But then, I found a newspaper in the street that same year that I stopped believing and right on the front page, an article called “Is There Really A Santa,” and I knew I had to read it.

My Truest Form

And what I realized from reading an article in a newspaper that wasn’t even ours, was that, maybe Santa isn’t real. The man that we like to call Santa. But the Santa that is about hope, joy, magic, he’s real. The spirit of him lies within all of us. No matter your religion, your race, or your gender. Santa is about giving, it’s about lifting other people up when they need it the most. It’s about hope, knowing that each year on December 25th, Santa will arrive. It’s about believing in things you can’t see, can’t touch, can’t feel.

We can all be Santa. We can all go out off our way to give to people who can never repay us. We can all go to the Food Bank and volunteer for a day, knowing that they’ll never be able to do that for us. We can all spread joy, love, happiness, even if it’s just for a day. And why does that day have to fall on December 25th? We can all be Santa, all year long.

There is so much goodness in this world, every day people do things that surprise us and make us realize how amazing this world truly is. So, when I stopped believing in the magic of Santa, I started believing in the magic of the world, the magic that lies within every single one of us, to make this world better.

I believe in goodness, and magic and I believe that somewhere deep inside every single one of us lies the potential to be Santa. To make somebody so excited, so happy, and so joyful, without ever expecting anything in return.